On the bright side for Ford, Fusion sales rose 21% to 23,326, its best July ever, and auto sales rose 3.5%. Explorer sales rose 14.3% to 11,313, the best July since 2006. F-Series rose 0.4% to 49,314. In California, Focus sales rose 58% in July, and retail sales rose 88%.

Overall, truck sales declined 9%, largely because of the discontinuation of the Ford Ranger, which sold just 413 units, down from 6,410 a year earlier. Also, Lincoln sales fell 10.7% to 6,975. Sales of the Ford Escape fell 11.6% to 21,572 and sales of the Fiesta fell 23.4% to 4,059.

Meanwhile, Chrysler said its sales rose 13% to 126,089 units, its best July sales since 2007.

Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat brands all posted sales increases in July compared with the same month a year earlier. Chrysler brand sales grew 35% to lead the group. Leading models were the Chrysler 200 midsize sedan, up 43%, and the Dodge Journey crossover, up 69%. Also, Volkswagen said its July sales rose 27.3% to 37,014, the highest level for July since 1973.